On the Road, Again (Working Title)
by OmegaEGG
Summary: A new region, a brand new start. That's how 12-year old Ash Ketchum traveled the many regions he had come across like Hoenn and Sinnoh. Now, the young trainer is ready to start all over with his Pikachu in the land of Kalos, where new adventures await. Contains Amourshipping as main and two other shippings. Rated T for Teen because fan services.
1. Chapter 1 - A Sleepless Night

**Author's Note: Hey guys, this is my first fan fiction project and my first large-scale writing project...Okay, maybe it's not my first large-scale writing project (I have four other large-scale writing projects if you ask, and they're completely (more or less) original). I would love to hear your feedback from all of you readers because, as I said, this is my first fan fiction, and I need you, the readers, to help me through it by giving constructive feedback. ;)**

**There may be some similarities to other fanfics. So before I begin, I would like to say that the idea for the setting (for the summer camp that is) and some lines are definitely NOT my ideas, and I would like to give the credit for all that to Mr. FanaticLAguy06. He's a great author and I recommend you check out his Amourshipping fan fiction, _The Road to be a Pokémon Master_. You don't know what I'm talking about in this section of the author note? Read his fanfic.**

**On that note (hehehe), let's not keep you guys from waiting, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. If I did, my story would play out the same as this fan fiction. And Ash would've been 12 yrs. old.**

**Prologue**

The sun is shining over Pallet Town without a single cloud in sight. In Professor Samuel Oak's mind, it's the perfect day for summer camp. As the professor stands in front of the children, they lined up side-by-side, all eager for the next fun activity. It was then revealed to be a scavenger hunt and, as a result, the kids roared in excitement upon hearing the announcement.

A six-year old, raven-haired boy with brown eyes was easily one of the most eager of the group. His name was Ash Ketchum. He's a good-hearted but stubborn native of Pallet Town, albeit a dense one at that. He always puts his friends and family before anything else. Ash is very adventurous and he loved to explore, which is why he was so eager for the scavenger hunt. His goal is to be the greatest Pokemon master, and he is very determined to reach the prestigious goal.

There was also a girl who wasn't so pleased for the hunt. Her name was Serena Gabena, a six-year old girl with sapphire eyes and shoulder-length honey blonde hair with a straw hat on top. She recently moved to Kanto and was brought to the summer camp against her will. While she is a kind and polite girl, she is rather shy to others, considering that she was rather new to the town. However, she is openly rebellious towards her mother. Unlike Ash, she has no clear goal yet. Her mother was a famous Rhyhorn racer who is now retired. She tried following her footsteps a few times, but was later convinced she didn't want to. Thus, a recurring thought looped in her mind: what can she do in her own life?

"Alright, so does everyone understand the rules?" Professor Oak asked, receiving a nod from all the kids, "Good; as I said before, no teaming up. You are to do this by yourself. There will be some camp counselors and assistants of mine within the area to help out in cases of emergency. Last, but not least, have fun! Are you ready?"

As the professor was giving one last advice, the children were being given baskets and a list of things to find. Everyone had determined looks on their face; everyone but Serena. She began to doubt; how could she succeed in this event when she barely even gotten through the others? She didn't even want to go to the camp in the first place.

"On your mark, ready, go!" one of the professor's assistants declared, pumping his fists high into the air. The kids all rushed into different directions, determined to beat one another at the scavenger hunt.

* * *

Around twenty minutes into the hunt, the young blonde continues to trek through the forest. She had only found a couple of items on the list. She had let out a huge sigh. It was the last major event in the summer camp as it was the final day, and all she'd hoped is that she would get through this. Being the new girl in town, she had no knowledge of who the inhabitants are. Her shyness didn't help either as she rarely converses with other kids in her age.

To make matters worse, she got herself lost, unbeknownst to the professor's assistants or anyone else. She may have come across a few youngsters, but it has been a while since the last encounter. Thus, she began to worry. "Where is everybody," Young Serena asked timidly, "Where did you all go?" At that very moment, a bush nearby began to rustle, causing the young girl to startle. She backed up, tripped, and in the process, scraped her knee badly. All of a sudden, a Poliwag hopped out of the rustling bush, which startled the injured girl again.

Tears form on her eyes as she said, "I knew I didn't want to come to camp, I knew it," she began to yell, "MOMMYYYYYY!" Once again, the same bush rattled wildly. Could it be that a counselor or assistant heard her cries? Or is it another Pokémon far more spine-chilling than Poliwag? Serena stared at the bush, fearful of whatever is behind it. Fortunately, it wasn't a Pokémon, but a young raven-haired boy.

"Poliwag?" The boy asked himself before noticing the young blonde, "Hey, are you alright?" he asked.

"Huh?" The girl said, ceasing the rivers below her eyes as she noticed the young boy.

"Hi, I'm Ash!" he introduced himself, "Who are you? What's wrong?"

"I-I'm Serena..." she paused as her hand drifted to her knee, "I-I hurt my leg..."

"Don't worry, I'll help you out. See this?" Ash said as he pulled out a handkerchief, "This will make you better." He wrapped the handkerchief around the badly scraped knee like a bandage. "There, all done! I'll say a good luck charm really quick. Pain, pain, go away!" He said.

For some people, it would've sounded silly. For Serena, however, she thought the gesture was sweet and even blushes a little. "Thank you, Ash," she said gratefully. She tried to stand alone, but, "It still hurts, and I can't get up!"

"Don't give up 'till it's over, okay? Come on, I'll help you get back up," he said as he offered her a hand.

Serena stared at him for a moment before she slowly slipped her hand into Ash's. He gave her a little too hard of a tug as when she was pulled to her feet, she ended up falling onto Ash in an almost hug-like state. Serena leaned against Ash for a moment and felt her cheeks go red again before pulling away. He didn't appear to notice the state they were in.

"There you go," he gave a smile and a chuckle to her; "I think we should better be going back to the campsite, okay? Come on,"

"What about the scavenger hunt?" she asked.

"Nah, it's alright. What matters right now is that you're safe," he said and gave another smile as he continued to lead her by the hand.

_"Serena, wake up! Ugh..."_ A familiar voice yelled in the background, irritated.

_-Reality-_

A raven-haired woman, whose name was Grace Gabena, walked down the stairs and into the kitchen as she continues to make breakfast. A robin Pokémon flew down into the open window in front of the woman.

"Fletchling!" It said as it watched its master slice some green leaves.

"Fletchling, wake up Serena for me, won't you?" the lady frowned as she responded, "Of course I've already tried once, but as usual, once is never enough." The little Fletchling nodded in response and flew towards Serena's room upstairs.

Serena was sleeping happily on her bed, dreaming that very moment when she met _him_. In the meantime, Fletchling squeezed through the small opening on the door and proceeded to Serena. The next moment, yelling was heard from inside her room, startling the lady's Rhyhorn stationed outside the house, but not Grace.

"Good," Grace said, "looks like we're ready."

Inside Serena's room, the young lady, now twice the age before, furiously woke up. "I've told you a million times not to wake me up like that!"

"Fletchi," the robin Pokémon responded, only to infuriate Serena attempted to grab the Pokémon unsuccessfully.

"Serena, time for morning training!" Grace yelled as Fletchling landed on Serena's pink bow.

"Alriiiight, mom!" the twelve-year old blonde responded, "Not again..." She muttered as she made her way to the window to greet her mother's Rhyhorn a good morning. "Hope today's interesting..." Serena said as she stretched her arms out, looking over to Vaniville Town's horizon.

Miles ahead of town was Lumiose City, where a certain young man is about to arrive: twelve-year old Ash Ketchum. Aboard a Boeing 787, he and his long-time partner, Pikachu, look over the coastlines of the Kalos Region from an open window.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu said.

"Yeah, we'll be on the ground soon!" Ash replied. Beside him and the electric rodent was a friend of his, Alexa, a journalist native to the new region in her 20s.

"Ash, you and Pikachu must be really excited!" The lady complemented.

"We're starting a new adventure!" He responded, "There's nothing more exciting to a Pokémon trainer!"

"Pikachu!" The electric rodent said afterwards.

Just a few minutes later, the Boeing touched down on the airstrips of Lumiose Airport. He walked off the plane and was greeted by the skyscrapers of the city.

"Heeeey Kalos Region! Ash from Pallet Town is finally here!" he shouted as he proceeded forward, only to make a misstep and fell down the stairs.

Alexa let out a sigh, "Oh you."

**End of the Prologue  
**

**A/N: So what did you think, guys? Is it good for a first try? Please do give feedback on the prologue, it would be much appreciated! If you have any, ask questions. I will do my best to answer all of them in the next chapter's Q/A. Hopefully, the first actual chapter will be out by next week. Until then, Omega Ru...Err, Omega Egg, signing out!**

**Chapter 1: A Troublesome Introduction**


	2. Chapter 2 - Welcome to Kalos!

**A/N: Well, this took longer than I expected. As always, if you have any, please post your questions and/or comments at the review section. :)**

**I would like to give a shoutout to Fred Andrew Oakster and his awesome work, Serene Phoenix: Reborn. Much of this chapter's (and the next one as well) plot is mainly based on one of his chapters of his fanfic.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon Franchise (games, anime, manga, etc.). If I did, KANTO CONFIRMED FOR GEN 6. Honestly, though, I want a remake of a remake. :3**

**Chapter 1: A Troublesome Introduction, Part 1**

"Ow..." Ash muttered in pain after falling down the stairs. Pikachu rushed over to his master to see if he's okay, to which the raven-haired boy responded, "I'm fine Pikachu, thanks."

Alexa walked down, witnessing the trainer and the Pokémon's bond. "Here, let me help you up," she said as she gave Ash a hand. "Nice entrance you did up there."

"Ehehe, yeah, sorry about that," Ash responded to Alexa's sarcastic comment. "First, I wanna do is have a gym battle!" He exclaimed.

"Just a minute, Ash," Alexa stopped the boy in his tracks and continued, "So where do you plan to have a gym battle?"

"Oh, that's an easy one. Your younger sister is a gym leader, right? At her gym, of course!" Ash responded.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Ash, but my sister's gym is not here in Lumiose City, but in Santalune City." Alexa said, much to the dismay of the young trainer.

"What?! Aw, what do I do now?" The boy asked.

"There is, however, a gym located right in the middle of Lumiose City. And maybe you can make a visit to Professor Sycamore's lab. It, too, is based on Lumiose City," She replied, "Well, I better head off to my office now. If you want, you can visit me as well in the big city."

"Really? Thanks a lot, Alexa! I'll be seeing you later then," The trainer said, enlightened by the journalist he travelled with. Both humans and Pokémon exchanged waves as Alexa headed off. Once she was out of sight, Ash ran around the airstrip, taking a look at the scenery and sights as he searched for new Pokémon. That's when a shadow of a figure on top of the control tower caught the young boy's eyes. The dragon-like figure launched from the tower and flew over Ash, approaching the sound barrier as it gains distance from the airport. Ash didn't see the figure directly, but was left in awe nonetheless. "Whoa, did you see what I just saw, Pikachu?"

"Pika..." The electric rodent responded.

"We're going to see loads of new Pokémon in the Kalos Region, I know it!" He exclaimed.

* * *

"Come on, Serena, just two more minutes!" Grace encouraged her daughter.

At least, that's what Serena thinks her mother is trying to do. She has been at this for who knows how long now. Days? Weeks? It even felt like a months for her. Her mother must be cheating somehow! Serena has been spending all day with her mother's Rhyhorn; an afternoon she'd rather be spending in the next town with her friend, Shauna. No matter, all she had left was two more minutes, and then she can have the rest of her day to herself. That is, if Rhyhorn didn't make any sudden movements. Unfortunately, that's exactly what it did; the spike Pokémon suddenly halted and jerked left, making Serena lose her balance and thrown off the Pokémon, landing face first.

"...Maybe we should call it a day." Grace said as sweat dropped.

Soon after her mother's words, Serena quickly recovered and muttered mentally, _"Oh so now she thinks so..."_

The displeased girl stomped her way into the house with Grace left in the field. The mother frowned as she transitioned into empty thought. The Rhyhorn looked towards its owner in concern, only to receive denial from her.

_"Oh Serena...I don't know what else I could do for you,"_ Grace thought as she grabbed the mails, _"You declined to have your first Pokémon; you despise Rhyhorn racing...Have I been wrong for keeping you here?"_

After checking so that nothing was broken and that her daughter felt a little bit better, Grace granted Serena a day off. There was still time for her to catch up with Shauna in Aquacorde Town if she hurried to the shower and get changed. As her daughter rushed to the bathroom, Grace sat down with the same question in mind, now looping like a broken record. Had she been wrong to keep Serena at home? It's all that revolved inside her mind.

Of course, when Serena turned ten, she declined the offer from Professor Sycamore to be given her first Pokémon. The young girl had moved again, and she was not too keen on going anywhere. Two years later, however, Serena had finally settled in for the moment, and she asked her mother if she could go on a journey herself, to which Grace promptly objected, hoping her daughter would take after her and become a Rhyhorn racer, much to the girl's chagrin. Initially, Serena dealt with it, but lately, it has become evident that she did not want to follow her mother's footsteps. Once again, the thought of making a grave mistake haunted Grace. It really wasn't as much Serena not being talented as it was Serena not wanting to do it as a profession. But then what did she want to do?

In the meantime, Serena had finished taking a shower and picking out her clothes. She sported a single ponytail, a simple white shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of white slip-on shoes. To top it off, she opted for a straw hat, the same one she used to wear as a child. It was one of those precious things that connected her to a better time in her life. Thinking about it all, her head turned to the bedside table where a blue handkerchief lay. As she grasped the handkerchief and let it rest on her palm, her mind blanked and her chest ached a little.

_-Flashback-_

_Ash stood frozen in shock seeing the girl with the straw hat tears. Behind her, the Machoke was working on moving all the girl's belongings into the truck; Serena was moving again, for the second time in her life. The thought struck Ash like a Tauros, but he stubbornly refused to believe it was true._

_"I'm sorry, Ash..." the honey-blonde girl whispered, her voice filled with sadness._

_"Serena..." he muttered._

_The young boy's eyes began to water. It wasn't long until rivers formed on his cheeks. Ash tried to cease his crying, but was unable to._

_"Ash, forgive me. I tried to tell mom I don't want to move, but she wouldn't budge." Serena's voice trembled as she transitioned into sobs._

_The realization that he may never see his best friend again scarred his heart. As he looked at the only girl he had ever felt that wasn't 'icky', the speechless boy gave in to his emotions, hesitantly pulled Serena towards him, and throwing his arms around her. The girl didn't resist the affectionate gesture and returned it. For what seemed like an eternity, the two eight-year olds were locked together, crying like they never had before. Best friends, they may be, but even eternity won't hold them for long; Ash knew he had to let go sometime, and so he did. By then, Serena's house was emptied._

_"Serena, time to go!" Grace called out. It was time._

_"Well, I guess this is good bye, Ash. Thank you." Serena said, trying to leak a smile out of the gloomy face._

_Ash stood there speechless, watching her go. She was wearing the same straw hat that same fateful encounter. It was her hat of choice. Ash usually teased her for wearing the same hat frequently. In fact, she almost always wears the same hat every time the two kids play around in the same forest they met. That fateful day in summer camp three years ago, when she was injured in the forest, when Serena scraped her knee, and Ash came to save the day with the blue handkerchief. And that's when the lightbulb went on._

_"Serena, wait!" Ash said as he reached inside his pocket to pull out the blue handkerchief. The girl turned around, revealing mixed emotions of sad and confusion. "Here, keep it so you will always remember me. It's the same handkerchief I wrapped around your knee back in summer camp 3 years ago."_

_Serena stood in awe as Ash handed her the handkerchief. That handkerchief was a part of her best friend, and now, it was now a symbol of their friendship. It was one of the final pieces of the puzzle that had linked them together. She wanted to give something back in return for this lovely gesture, but couldn't come up with anything. Then, she remembered the straw hat she was wearing. She knew what she would give him, so she reached for her hat and pulled out the pink band that ran around its top._

_"Here. So you won't forget me either." Serena said as her hand uncontrollably reached out for Ash's wrist, handing him the pink band. Ash could only manage to smile at her, despite the situation. The puzzle was finally complete._

_"Th-thank you..." Ash finally said after a long pause._

_He escorted Serena to her mother's car. As she entered into the rear seats, the two children took one last glance at their features one last time. The door closed, and Serena stood up straight so she could still see him. She breathed out onto the car window so it would become foggy. She then began engraving something on the misty window: A+S, BFF. Serena engraved the same thing on the tree she landed on in the summer camp during their escapades together. Seeing this, Ash couldn't help but have his eyes filled with tears again. He wiped it off and tried to force out a smile. Before they knew it, they were out of sight from each other. Left behind was a sulking 8-year old, clutching a pink band as if it was the most important thing in the entire universe._

_-Reality-_

Serena snapped back into reality by Fletchling flying into her window. She tied the blue handkerchief around her left wrist, prepared her belongings, and came down the stairs.

"Mom, I'm leaving now!" She said, only to notice a discomforting frown on her face, "Hey mom, is there something wrong? Please tell me it's not about what happened a while ago..."

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing to worry about, honey. Have fun with Shauna!" Grace reassured her daughter, who then left the abode. _"That's it. I'm taking care of this thought once and for all," _she thought as she grabbed the phone and dialed Professor Sycamore. "Professor Sycamore, it's Grace. We need to talk."

* * *

"WHAAA?!" Ash said. He was walking all day, lost in the big city. His anticipation and excitement was later crushed by the news he received from the gym official.

"I'm sorry kid, but the gym's closed. The gym leader is addressing some problems over at the power plant nearby," The official replied.

"Aw man, I was even looking forward to it as well," Ash responded, saddened by the fact that the gym leader is not available. "Can you at least tell me where Professor Sycamore's lab is located?"

"Ah, yea. Just head straight that way and turn right," the official said, pointing south, "His lab looks rather similar to a mansion with brown brick walls. You'll see what I mean when you get there."

Ash followed the directions he was given. On the way, he thought about the past, before he began the journey to become a Pokémon master, before he met Pikachu, before Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, or Unova. A worrisome face surfaced, and that caught Pikachu's eyes.

"Pika Pi?" His partner-in-crime asked, concerned for its master's well-being.

"It's alright Pikachu. I'm just thinking some stuff, that's all."

In truth, he wasn't that alright. He's been having dreams, or nightmares, whichever one you classify it, about his best friend; the day they met, the adventures they had in the forest and meadows, and the day she left. He had only visited the point the two children met once after Serena left Kanto for who knows where. The forest was literally right within the vicinity his Pokémon he caught in previous journeys lived at the moment. He knew the way around, so he knew where the tree was. The tree still had that same engraving that she had put on the car window on that very day she left. He could still remember it very clearly: _A+S, BFF_.

Before he could traverse deeper into his mind, he had arrived at the lab. He entered through the gates and into the lab itself. The official was right, it does look eerily similar to a mansion.

"Hello? Professor Sycamore, are you here?" Ash called out.

The entrance hall is rather massive and it's laden with a velvet red carpet, shiny olive green floor tiles, and aqua blue walls. The red carpet stretched on over to two sets of stairs that lead up to the second floor. As the young trainer looked around for the professor, a man came into view from a corridor to his right. He had jet black hair and a white lab coat, something a professor would usually wear.

"Hello," the man greeted, "And who might you be?" He walked on over to the entrance hall.

"Hi, I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and this is my partner, Pikachu." Ash introduced himself and Pikachu.

"Pika!" The electric rodent greeted the professor.

"I've come all the way from the Kanto region to compete in the Kalos League. My friend back home, Professor Oak, said that I should visit Professor Sycamore so I could get the Kalos Pokédex."

"Well, that would be me," he paused to receive a firm handshake from the nearly-teen trainer. "Come, Ash. I've been expecting you," he said as he guided Ash to the second floor and into his laboratory to see the research he was doing.

Professor Sycamore was Professor Oak's former pupil, so he had some connections in the Kanto region. He frequently discusses with the latter over their discoveries and theories in their respective fields and what not. Ash and Pikachu were rather eager, as every professor they've met have had different fields in which they study and perform research on. They followed the older man deeper into his lab, meeting Pokémon, old and new. They even came across a Garchomp under the lab's care, much to Ash's delight. The trio then exited into an indoor garden for Pokémon to live in. Pikachu then proceeded to play around with the other Pokémon as Ash and Professor Sycamore discussed.

"Amazing!" Ash exclaimed and went on further to ask, "So Professor, what field are you researching on?"

"Well, if I told you that some Pokémon may have an additional evolutionary stage, what would you say?" The professor replied.

"Are you serious? So you're saying that Garchomp can still evolve?" Ash asked with his curiosity peaked.

"Possibly. That's my research." Professor Sycamore said, "There have been several reports of different Pokémon evolving in a way that we researchers refer to as Mega Evolution."

"Mega Evolution?" the young trainer timidly asked.

Professor Sycamore nodded, "A lot of the mechanics are still endowed in mystery. But we believe that a strong bond between Pokémon and trainer, along with two special stones, play a crucial role in evolving."

"A strong bond, huh?"

"What's more, a Pokemon is able to return to its previous form after it evolves this way." This surprised Ash more than anyone in the room, though that's mainly because he was the only one hearing it for the first time. Come to think of it, he may have seen such a feat before back in Unova; more specifically, in New Tork City, where he encountered a Mewtwo who had an ability to change forms. But before he could spit it out, he was interrupted by Professor Sycamore.

"Oh, by the way, Professor Oak mentioned that you have a Charizard. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, but what about it?" Ash responded, not knowing what the professor has in store for him.

"Follow me." Professor Sycamore led the boy back into his lab, where the professor grabbed a round black and blue stone, "One of my former assistants has found this on his current journey, and he was kind enough to lend me one of these. Ash, this is one of the stones that allow Charizard to Mega Evolve."

"What?!" The boy was shocked (in a good way) to hear this revelation, "So does that mean..."

"Yes, your Charizard has the potential to evolve. My former assistant is currently on a journey with his own Charizard, and he stated that this stone is one vital part that gives the Pokémon to Mega Evolve." Professor Sycamore cut in while Ash paused.

"Well, what am I waiting for? I'm bringing Charizard over here, stat!" Ash eagerly exclaimed.

Professor Sycamore had another chat with Professor Oak, asking if he could bring Ash's Charizard over to Kalos as a request from the young trainer himself; of course, the Kanto-based professor gladly complied, and sent the flame Pokémon over. While the two geniuses continued to discuss, Ash spotted a new Pokémon checking the lab out. Although, it does look like it was eyeing him more often.

"Oh, that's Froakie, Ash. Froakie, could you please come down from there?" Sophia, one of Professor Sycamore's assistants, said. The light blue-green frog Pokémon came down from the window as a response.

"Froakie, huh? Nice meetin' you! My name's Ash!" The boy greeted, although the Pokémon simply looked at him indifferently and left. "Huh. What's the deal with Froakie?"

"Well, one of the Professor's responsibilities is to give new trainers their very first Pokémon. Froakie is one of those Pokémon, but this particular Froakie is a bit different, refusing to listen to its trainer in battle. There have been times when Froakie ran away, simply because it didn't like its trainer. Other times, several trainers have come back to our lab just to return it." Sophia said.

"Wait, you mean more than one?!" Ash responded, rather surprised about Froakie's backstory.

"I'm sure Froakie acts that way for a reason, though," Professor Sycamore said out of the blue. It seems that the two professors have concluded their discussion; Professor Sycamore gave a Pokéball to Ash, Charizard's Pokéball to be exact.

Ash can only look at the lonely frog Pokémon as it hops its way into the lab's garden. As if it can read mind or had super hearing, Froakie looked back at Ash before it intercepted the same Garchomp they had encountered moments ago. It's as though they were good friends, and they were. It kind of reminded him of...Nah. He tried to avoid that thought again and let his flame Pokémon come out of its Pokéball.

* * *

Serena had already caught up with Shauna at Aquacorde Town, and the two neighborly friends were now heading back to Vaniville Town via Route 1. Thankfully, not a single drop of water came down from the sky, and Serena and Shauna were able to listen to the serene sounds of the wild Pokémon without getting wet. Except for Shauna, who is delighted even under the heavy showers. The girl is practically delighted almost every time, even in the rain. Serena, on the other hand, disliked the rain as it got her hair wet, which usually becomes rather messy once it got dry again. At the moment, they were having a light conversation about what they had done in the afternoon.

However, Serena was only paying half attention to whatever they were talking about. She was more content on enjoying the peace and harmony around them. The calmness of Pokémon and the nature they lived in, it made her feel like she was back in Pallet Town, back home where her best friend currently resides. It was moments like these she treasured more than anything else, other than the blue handkerchief of course. Sometimes, she would wish that time would stop and let her experience this feeling for eternity.

Don't get it wrong, Vaniville Town is as much as a home as she was in Pallet, but everything's changed, and Serena had to go through it the hard way. She missed waking up early in the morning and run outside as soon as she had finished breakfast to play with Ash in the meadows and forests of Pallet Town. During her first few months in the Kalos region, she used to keep up with that habit of running out into the forest in Route 1, just to get the feeling that not everything had changed. In the forest, everything felt almost right at home. In nature, there weren't any borders to keep you in or out. All was the same in what seems to be her natural habitat.

As time passed, however, she had begun to feel lonely and slowly realized how much really has changed. When she left Kanto and Ash behind, not only did she leave behind a pink band that used to go with her straw hat, or a sobbing eight-year old friend whom she had befriended for three years. No, she left everything up to that point in her life behind and no matter how much she wanted, she couldn't keep living in the past. Since then, she had opted to sleep late in the morning instead, hoping that the days would fly past her. She kept the routine up, even after she met Shauna.

"Serena, are you even listening?"

Hearing her name snapped her back into reality, and Serena cleared her thoughts, "Huh? I guess I kinda spaced out. Sorry about that." She said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

Shauna eyed her friend for a moment, silently wondering what is in Serena's mind. She has been spacing out a lot more often lately and it was starting to become creepy. Shauna knew well that her friend missed her home in the Kanto region. That's what Serena usually tells Shauna whenever the younger girl asked what she was thinking about during these space outs.

"I asked if you have ever dreamed of leaving Vaniville Town and see the world." Shauna told her and drifted off to a different thought, "I wish I could leave town for a journey across the world. But you know mom, she wouldn't let me when I turned ten; she said I was too young and all." Shauna pouted at the last part, making Serena giggle slightly at her friend's childishness.

"Shauna, I am from _another region_, remember? I have been out of town." The blonde girl responded with a playful smile.

The young brunette scowled at her friend's response. That's not one of the answers she was looking for and Serena knew it! When Serena gave her a teasing look and stuck her tongue out, Shauna began stomping her foot, which caused the honey-blonde girl mocking her to chuckle.

"Aah! That's not what I meant! I mean like travelling the world, seeing new places, meeting new people! Going a journey with your very own Pokémon! Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Actually," Serena paused, "I turned down Professor Sycamore's offer of travelling when I turned ten"

"What?! Why would you do that? I had to go through my mother to go on a journey of my own, and even then she was adamant I stay home! And now you're saying that you've had a free ticket out and you _turned it down_?!" Shauna asked, bugged by the blonde girl's response to her question.

"Well, it's just that I was still fed up after our move from Kanto. I wanted Vaniville Town to feel more like home before I went anywhere else. You know, so I could have a home to return to." Serena replied.

The hyperactive girl looked at her friend, clueless of how to react or what to say. She tried to understand why anyone would turn down a journey across the world, no matter what the reason was. However, it didn't take long for the lightbulb to go on, and a mischievous smile spread across her the little girl's face. She elbowed Serena lightly in the side to get her to look at her.

"Ooh, I see now. You miss your boyfriend that you left in Kanto, don't ya?" Shauna asked with a suggestive look on her face.

"Wha...Shauna!" Serena exclaimed with a tinge of red surfacing on her cheeks, "How many times do I have to tell you, it wasn't like that! We were just...Friends."

Shauna snorted with laughter at her friend's expense and Serena voluntarily looked away, as if her eyes were trying to avoid Shauna's. The blonde picked up her pace in hopes to reach her home before the next salvo of teases. Unfortunately, they were still a little way from it. Why does this happen every time she mentions her old home town to Shauna? And what's worse, almost every single time, she gets this warm, comfortable feeling in her chest whenever the little brunette at least implied that Ash had been Serena's boyfriend; it just drives her nuts.

"Riiight. You keep saying that, yet your actions speak otherwise."

Feeling her cheeks going red even more as a picture of her younger self kissing Ash somehow pierced into Serena's mind, the poor girl desperately tried to divert the subject.

"Can't we just stick to talking about journeys?" She groaned in embarrassment.

"Oh fine," Shauna said, deciding that her friend has suffered enough.

The two parted ways later as they arrived at Serena's home. She greeted her mother, to which Grace responded with a polite "Welcome home!", and ran up to her room. Dinner was almost ready; the scent of appetizing food raced upwards to Serena's room. The exhausted girl was lying face down on the bed. Serena felt her muscles relaxed as she lay still on the soft fabric; all of it tempted the girl to drift off to sleep. But she knew that her mother will soon call her down to set the table, and if she doesn't wake up, she'll receive the good ol' Fletchling treatment. She suppressed the urge. Besides, it wasn't long until Grace called her down. Making sure she wouldn't tarnish a prized possession, she untied Ash's handkerchief off her wrist and laid it down on the bedside table.

She made her way back downstairs, seeing Grace putting the finishing touches on their meal. She went over to the dressers and pulled out two plates and placed them on the table, along with two forks and two knives. After getting two glasses and a milk carton, Serena sat down and waited her mother to finish. However, to her surprise, when Grace had finished by the stove and taken the frying pan off the hotplate, she just cleaned her hands before she went over to sit down opposite to her daughter. When Serena gave her a surprised look, Grace sighed and nodded.

"Before we eat, we need to have a little chat."

* * *

Ash remained awake on his bed in Professor Sycamore's mansion-like lab. He offered the young trainer to take the night off in one of his guest rooms, to which Ash gladly accepted. The boy thought a well-deserved early good night's rest for him and his Pokémon was substantial. Although, while his Pikachu and Charizard slept soundly in the indoor garden, a lot of things were revolving in his mind kept him awake, especially Serena. Once again, his past haunted him, with a growing concern on his face. Why are these thoughts and dreams/nightmares surfacing now and not earlier? Is something related and important going to happen? Who knows; only time will tell. He reached for his bag and found the same pink band from the straw hat it used to go with. Since he came back home from his disappointing lost to Trip in the Unova League, that pink band reminded him of someone dear to him. _Never give up until the end!_ It was that phrase he told the girl who injured herself deep in the woods. That phrase which he passed onto her echoed in the boy's head.

As he travelled deeper into his mind, he spotted something – or someone – at the corner of his eye. It was Froakie hopping along the hallways, passing by Ash's opened door. He decided bonding with a new Pokémon would help cease the voices in his head, so he followed it all the way into the garden. The frog-like Pokémon stopped at the edge of the pond and noticed Ash following it.

"Can't sleep, huh?" Ash said, only to receive silence. "Yeah, me too..."

The young boy sat alongside Froakie, with silence soon followed. Ash reached for his bag, grabbed two berries, and handed one over to the Pokémon. Froakie accepted the berry as they watched the sleeping Pokémon silently.

"I don't know why anyone would return you here," Ash broke the silence as he took a bite out of his berry, "I find it very absurd that they would return their first ever Pokémon, especially someone like you, Froakie."

"Froak..." The Pokémon said in reply, with a small hint of disappointment.

"You know what I think? You carry great potential inside you, something those trainers don't seem to see. You'll see; someday, you would find that trainer wh-"

A loud crash and thick smoke interrupted Ash's speech. The sound came from right there inside the garden. Once the smoke cleared, a gaping hole in the roof was left behind. The Pokémon were forced awake, leaving them confused as to what is going on. Only one Pokémon was missing: Garchomp. The professor and his assistants rushed on over to find the source of the loud explosion, leading them into the garden.

"Oh my goodness!" Professor Sycamore exclaimed, "Ash! What happened?!"

"I don't know, but Garchomp's missing! We have to find him!"

"Alright, Ash," The Professor then turned to his associates, "Quickly, find out who did this and what exactly happened. Go! I'll follow Ash to see where Garchomp will go!"

"Charizard, you ready?" The orange dragon-like Pokémon roared in reply, "Then let's follow Garchomp!"

"Froakie!" The frog Pokémon exclaimed before Ash and Charizard rushed off to pursue Garchomp.

"You want to come to?" The boy asked, receiving a nod in response, "Then it's settled!"

* * *

Grace was watching the television news after the two had eaten their supper. Serena had only just finished cleaning the dishes when the news of the rampaging Garchomp reached Vaniville Town and across the Kalos region.

"Hey Serena, come check this out!" She called out.

"What is it now, mom? I'm still thinking about that offer," Serena replied as the news caught her eye, "What movie are you watching?"

"It's real and live from Lumiose City." Grace said as she invited her daughter to sit on the couch.

Serena can only wonder what would happen next as a Charizard flew into picture.

**A/N: FINALLY, I have finished. I might not be able to post next weekend because I myself have to complete my own summer camp in real life. So, without further ado, let us go answer our single question (sadly).**

_So what is going to be different from the cannon story compared to yours?_

**Well, how do I explain this without going too in-depth...Quite a bit actually. I can, however, say that Team Rocket will not be featured in this AU, since they were defeated by Ash and his original travelling companions (Brock and Misty). He also did not leave Charizard in Charicific Valley to train; instead, he continued to travel and train with Charizard. Moving over to the AG series, only one major difference: he reached top 4 in the league. Much of the series remains intact, other than the (in)famous Team Rocket Trio being absent. In the DP series, he won the league. He also had the opportunity to challenge the Elite 4 and Champion, which he lost very early due to his lack of skill compared to the mighty. BW: he lost to Trip and was eliminated in the Top 16. XY: Just read this story and find out yourself.**

**Well, that's the only question I have received. I'll repeat again, I may not be able to post next weekend due to me being busy for the week. I would probably have little to no time to work on the story; Gomen'nasai! However, if I do somehow manage to post a story, I will probably celebrate. Again, I want to give a shoutout to Fred Andrew Oakster and his fanfic, Serene Phoenix Reborn. That's it for today, folks! Haaavve a nice week! Good night (because I posted this story in 7/14/14, 2 AM).**


	3. Chapter 3 - Hot Pursuit

**A/N: Ah, back from my one-week break. Before I start, I snuck in some minor edits into the chapters that I cannot seem to remember, probably because they're merely grammar and story flow edits. Now let's us bring out the dogs of...Er...Literature? That didn't go very well. Meh, let's just get on with this. **

**Now before I begin, I want to recommend that you listen to 'The Valley of Kings' from the Ace Combat Zero OST in the first segment of this chapter, because what's coming up is pretty epic (at least for me), and the music is very fitting IMO.**

**Again, shoutout to Fred Andrew Oakster as both parts of the introduction were built on one or two of his chapters in Serene Phoenix: Reborn. Without further ado, let us begin Part 2 of the very troublesome introduction!**

**Disclaimer: No sir/ma'am, I do not own Pokémon.**

**Chapter 2: A Troublesome Introduction, Part 2**

Chaos. At that very moment, it's the only word that can describe Lumiose City. The aggravated Garchomp left a trail of burning buildings and panicking people in the streets before raising altitude and heading north. From time to time, the land shark Pokémon stopped briefly to fire off random Hyper Beams, something that Ash's Charizard had a bit of trouble with. Nevertheless, Charizard persistently chased the rampaging Pokémon across the pink dusk skies of Lumiose, all the while skillfully avoiding the Hyper Beams. Ash and Professor Sycamore, on the other hand, were sprinting across Lumiose City's ancient-looking brick streets in pursuit of the two Pokémon.

"It looks like it's headed for the Prism Tower Gym!" Ash said, realizing Garchomp's trajectory.

"If that's the case, we need to evacuate the area! I'll contact Officer Jenny," The Professor replied as he took out a Holo Caster, "Officer Jenny, Sycamore here. We need to evacuate the Prism Tower area as soon as possible. By the looks of things, Garchomp is heading towards the tower."

"We'll get right to it, Professor."

While Ash and the Professor were contacting the police, Charizard and Garchomp were locked into a dogfight. Garchomp mindlessly but accurately fired off a barrage of hyper beams, barely missing the dragon-like Pokémon. In the pauses Garchomp had to take due the stress Hyper Beam puts on it, Charizard retaliated with its Flamethrower; while it did strike Garchomp spot on, it did little damage to it as it was a Dragon-type. Regardless, the two kept up the beating until either one of them would fall. Night had fallen; it wasn't long until the two Pokémon reached the Prism Tower. Tired out, the two Pokémon seized their attacks, with Charizard landing on the base of the tower, letting its trainer to catch up. Garchomp, on the other hand, remained afloat as it seemingly struggled to remove something from its neck.

Police cars were barricading the roads to Prism Tower. Officer Jenny had already began evacuating the people within the vicinity of the Tower when Ash and the Professor arrived

"Gar!" Garchomp yelped in pain.

"There you are!" The boy said with Pikachu and Froakie by his side, "We lost you back there, Charizard."

"Professor, what in the world is going on? Clearly you have something to do with this; you wouldn't have contacted me if you didn't," Officer Jenny asked.

"Let's talk about that later, Officer," Professor Sycamore replied, "Right now, we have to stop Garchomp from continuing his frenzy!"

"Charizard, are you still good to go?" Ash asked his Pokémon, receiving a nod from it, "Then get up close to him and use Dragon Tail!" Charizard spread his wings and rose to the same level as Garchomp. Its tail was surrounded by a light green aura with scales and the Pokémon proceeded to charge Garchomp with it. The land shark noticed Charizard heading towards it and its claws now shrouded with a light blue energy; it was Dragon Claw. The furious Garchomp dove towards Charizard and the claws of the land shark and the tail of the dragon clashed. Charizard struck a blow on Garchomp's torso while Garchomp dug its claws on Charizard's neck. The land shark then grabbed ahold of Charizard's tail and flung him up in the sky. Its trainer on the base of the tower called out 'Wing Attack,' and Charizard proceeded to do so. It turned around and descended towards the land shark Pokémon. Using gravity to gain velocity, Charizard's wings glow white and white energy shines off them at the wingtips, and impacted Garchomp with enough force to plummet them both to the ground. The two crashed down on the pavement on the base, creating a cloud of dust. Charizard emerged from the dust, flying as high as the tower. Garchomp, on the other hand, was recovering from the big blow Charizard delivered, and it was the first time Ash and the professor caught sight of its glowing red eyes and a device emitting a collar-like energy rope around its neck. Could it be the catalyst that set Garchomp off to a frenzy?

"What the..." The young trainer said as he saw the gray cubical device, "What's that on Garchomp's neck?"

"I don't know, but it seems to be what's causing harm to Garchomp, thus putting him on a rampage," Professor Sycamore said, "Try to find a way to remove it completely from its neck, Ash. If my hypothesis is correct, removing it should calm Garchomp down." At that very moment, infuriated by the assault Charizard dealt on it, Garchomp rose to Charizard's height. With Charizard and its trainer caught off guard, Garchomp grabbed ahold of the dragon-like Pokémon and began charging up a Hyper Beam point blank. Instinctively, Charizard charged up his flamethrower to counter the impending attack. The two attacks met at the very last second, causing a mid-air explosion. It threw Charizard not far from Prism Tower while Garchomp crash landed on the façade.

"Charizard, no!" Ash cried out as he went after Charizard. The orange dragon landed roughly northwest of the tower. It struggled to get back on its feet, but to no avail; it was weakened heavily from the Hyper Beam-Flamethrower explosion. "Charizard, are you okay?" The bruised Pokémon lay on its trainer's hands and gave a nod to him.

"Ash!" Professor Sycamore arrived with Nurse Joy, "There you are. How's Charizard?"

"Not good..." Ash said as he looked up at the shining tower, thinking what he could do amidst the situation, "I'll go up there."

"What?! That's too dangerous, Ash!" the Professor protested.

"No, Garchomp is in danger. Besides, I'm not going to stand around and watch the world burn." Professor Sycamore can only sigh and agree to the trainer's wishes.

"Maybe I can help," said a boy behind Ash, "I'm Clemont, gym leader of Lumiose City. I heard the news, so I came as fast as I could."

"Alright. We'll take care of Charizard for you, Ash."

"Thanks, Professor. Alright then, Clemont, let's get going." The two ran off, with Ash looking back to Charizard. The downed Pokémon gave him one last nod of assurance as its trainer soldiered on to his destination.

* * *

"Continuing our top story today, we have received reports that Charizard has been downed by the Garchomp. Charizard is alright and is being tended by Professor Sycamore at a nearby Pokémon Center. It was not a rampaging Pokémon; instead it was trying to stop Garchomp's rampage all over Lumiose City. Speaking of Garchomp, it has been confirmed that the Pokemon's rage is forced upon by unknown culprits. At the moment, an investigation has beg- Huh? Okay..." The news anchorman paused for a few seconds, "We have some breaking news regarding the crisis in Lumiose City; let's go over to Diana, live in Lumiose City, for an update."

"Thank you Tom. I can confirm that Garchomp has been downed as well. The mid-air explosion threw the two Pokemon in different directions, with Garchomp landing on the façade of the t- Uaagh!"

Serena watched closely as the anchorwoman is shaken from the Hyper Beam that barely missed their news helicopter. Why was she so hooked by the news tonight? It's unusual for her to be watching the news so closely. Sure, Lumiose City isn't that far, but she's not there. So what's driving her into the news so badly? The question simply sat in the back of her mind.

The news camera zoomed in on Garchomp to compensate for the distance it had to make to avoid getting blasted into oblivion. It was then that a boy with a blue short-sleeved jacket and a red baseball cap climbed up to the ledge where Garchomp is. The boy's untidy raven black hair was flying wildly against the wind and on his left shoulder, a yellow mouse-like Pokemon was perched, and behind him was a . There was something... eerily familiar about this boy.

"It couldn't be him, could it?" She whispered to herself and thought, _"Now I'm just making things up..."_

But she wasn't. All of it was happening every fleeting second, and all she could do was watch helplessly as the scene unfolded. The camera would sometimes zoom in on the boy, but Serena only rejected the thoughts she projected after seeing it, despite all of it being real. But, every time she sees him, she would look down on her wrist; the handkerchief was tied together and she cannot help but think about him. Then, she had a stark realization. The black hair, the brown eyes; she knew him all too well, and it couldn't be anyone else! It has to be him! Ash is here in Kalos!

Her heart jumped for joy; Serena and Ash were never this close for four years. The joyful celebration, however, very quickly turned into trembling fear and shock when she remembered where he is at this very moment. The young girl's hands gripped tightly at whatever is closest; the armrest for her right and a pillow for her left.

Her mother noticed her daughter's erratic behavior and looked questioningly at her for a moment, but only silence followed. Frowning at her daughter's odd behavior, Grace leaned forward to study the boy that had gotten Serena so shaken up. He seemed rather familiar...

_"Are you Serena's mom?"_ The dialogue echoed in her head as the picture of a 5-year old raven-haired boy flashed through her mind. _"You are? Good! She has been asking for you over at the camp! She had hurt her leg in the forest."_

The camera zoomed in on the boy; that's when her memory clicked. Grace finally recognized Ash and gasped. No wonder her daughter is staring at the screen in shock.

* * *

The young boy inched closer to the raging Garchomp. The land shark Pokémon has been struggling for hours to remove that dreaded thing on its neck. Whatever it was, it has been damaged from the mid-air explosion, and it has been sending painful energy shocks across its body. The Pokemon noticed Ash trying to comfort it and followed it up with a Hyper Beam directed at the trainer. The trainer clumsily stumbled to the side to avoid the Pokémon's attack, which was kind of hard as he was a few inches away from falling to his death.

"Please Garchomp, you've got to calm down!" The boy exclaimed. _"I have got to find a way to destroy that thing on its neck...But how?"_ He thought for a few moments, and then hatched an idea. Garchomp maybe immune to electric attacks, but is the device as well? Only one way to find out. "Pikachu, use Electro Ball and aim for the device!"

Upon hearing this, the electric-rodent wasted no time and hopped off its trainer's shoulder. Electricity condenses at the Pokemon's tail and forms into a yellow orb of lightning with sparks coming off of it, and it was followed up with a cry.

"Chuuu Piiika!" Pikachu jumped into the air and does a front flip, launching the orb at the opponent.

The electric attack literally did nothing to Garchomp, but the weakened device received a direct hit. Further damaged, sparks began flying off as Garchomp's eyes ceased glowing and it stopped moving, only to return back to its furious state in a moment's notice. The land shark flew off to the highest ledge of the tower.

"Garchomp, come back!" Ash shouted out, looked behind him, and saw a ladder all the way to the top. Usually, it is used by the maintenance crew, but today, he'll be climbing it.

Froakie and Pikachu were perched on Ash's shoulders as he climbed up the ladders. The higher he went, the winds blew harder. It was as if it was trying to knock him off the tower. Every second, he reaches for one bar after another, slowly creeping his way up to the top ledge. He reached the top a few minutes later. The trainer and the land shark glared eye-to-eye as if they were looking into their souls. It didn't take long for the boy to make his move.

"Froakie, use Water Pulse at the device!"

"Froak!" The frog Pokémon created a blue sphere of energy from in between its hands. It then fires the sphere at Garchomp, which it only sliced in half by its Dragon Claw. Unbeknownst to the raging Pokémon, Ash had already made his next move.

"Now Pikachu! Iron Tail!"

The electric rodent dashed to Garchomp with its tail glowing silvery white. The land shark Pokémon became aware of Pikachu and proceeded to do its next move: Earthquake. Its right foot rose to unleash the powerful ground-type move on the yellow mouse, and with it right at Garchomp's foot, there was no way Pikachu can avoid it! Well, only one thing he could do.

"Pikachu, target its leg! Don't let it use Earthquake!" Ash called out, hoping that his partner would have enough momentum gained from the previous Quick Attack to perform the move fast enough.

Hearing its trainer's call, the electric mouse stopped almost instantly and brought its tail up the second before the land shark's foot came down on it. The two limbs clashed in midair, causing airwaves to ripple out from the initial clash. However, Pikachu felt the heavy pressure from Garchomp's foot. Overwhelmed by the sheer power of the move, Pikachu was pressed down to the ground, causing the platform they were on to crack.

Seeing that his plan didn't come to a complete fruition, Ash growled under his breath. Then, Froakie charged up another Water Pulse. It then rushed closer to Garchomp, which the land shark Pokémon paid attention to. It flung its arms right at the frog Pokémon; but with Froakie's ninja-like reflexes, it simply landed on them, using them as platforms. Combining Pound and Water Pulse, Froakie slammed the blue orb at the land shark's face, causing a small explosion. The frog landed in front of Ash with a small smirk on its face. Garchomp, on the other hand, lost some balance, lifting its foot from Pikachu. So that its friend would not fall to its doom, Froakie threw its 'frubbles' at Garchomp's foot to keep him glued to the platform.

Pikachu may be down, but he wasn't out. It quickly recovered from being crushed by Garchomp's foot and thanked Froakie, who had a slight red tinge on its cheeks. The explosion had left a wide opening to Garchomp's collar device, so Ash quickly made his final push.

"Thanks Froakie," Ash said, shifting his focus to Pikachu and Garchomp, "Pikachu, time to make our last push; use Iron Tail one more time!"

"Pika!" Pikachu's tail glowed silvery white again and dashed towards raging Pokémon. Then, he jumped on the wall, and using his momentum, used the wall as a launch pad to rocket towards the land shark's neck. The rodent's Iron Tail scored a home run on the cubical device, shattering it to pieces. The collar-like energy rope dissipated, Garchomp's eyes returned to normal, and the Pokémon itself ceased its rampage, landing on its knees. Ash then ran after Garchomp to comfort it from its troubles.

"Are you okay?" He said as the other two Pokemon behind him ran towards them, "That must've hurt, huh? Don't worry, help is on the way." Then, as Pikachu was running across the platform, he stepped on the cracked portion, which gave way after taking massive damage from the battle. Ash turned around to see what the commotion is about, only to find that his partner is falling. "Pikachu!" He recklessly made a leap of faith to chase his Pokemon down from 300 meters.

Time seemed to slow down when Serena saw Ash jump off the tower. She tried to scream, but not a sound escaped her lips. Her throat constricted painfully and her heart seemed to have frozen over with fear for her best friend. Her lips kept moving, trying to make a sound to match her shock and fear, but not a sound came. Everything had gone quiet; at least, she didn't hear anything. Not the buzzing of the television; not the news anchorwoman; not even her mother who was obviously shouting something as well, if the way her lips moved was any indication. All she could do was watch her best friend fall towards his death on screen.

Was this it? Was this really how it was going to end? After four long years and she finally got to see him again, only for him to throw himself off of Prism Tower? How could that be? What kind of justice is that?! All these questions and more ran through Serena's mind in that single split second she saw Ash fall towards the tarmac. She felt tears of panic force their way through her eyelids and run down her cheek as she helplessly reached out for the TV screen. She fell onto her knees in front of the sofa. Why wasn't anyone doing anything? There had to be hundreds of people watching this unfold in Lumiose City! Why didn't anyone make a move to save the poor boy? There had to be something that someone could do! But Ash just kept falling...And falling...And falling...

Then something unexpected happened.

* * *

Charizard saw it all unfold. And now, his trainer is falling from the skies. He felt helpless as he watched Ash plummeted to his death. No! There has got to be something he could do! Still injured from the fight with Garchomp and the crash landing, he tolerated the pain inflicted upon him and spread his wings. 250 meters; Charizard reached for the skies and went after Ash. 200; everything is in slow motion as adrenaline is pumped in Charizard's blood. He's so close, yet so far... 150; contrails began to form on Charizard's wingtips as he approached breakneck speeds. Just a little more... 100.

Ash tightened his grip around Pikachu to make sure he wouldn't lose him. He felt a spark of fear run through his chest as he realized that this might be actually be it for him. The asphalt was closing on him at an alarming rate and he had no way of saving himself. At that moment, hundreds of thoughts ran through his head and he felt his blood freeze in his veins and his heart skip a beat, swallowing and closing his eyes as he prepared for the harsh impact that will end his life.

But it never came.

Instead, he felt lateral _g_-forces of nearly 9 _g_ as he is caught to safety. He opened his eyes and saw the orange dragon saving the day. And then they crash landed. Ash and Pikachu were thrown off of the Pokémon's arms from the rough landing, further bruising the two partners. The boy recovered his senses with Pikachu wrapped around his arms and went after their savior.

"Charizard! Are you okay?!" Ash asked, receiving thumbs up and a smile from Charizard. "Thank you..." The boy was nearly brought to tears as he lay down beside the dragon-like Pokémon. It wasn't the first time he had done such a feat. Back in Johto, Charizard flew all the way from the meadows of Pallet Town to save Ash and Pikachu from Entei.

At the moment, Garchomp and Froakie were being recovered to be brought to the Pokemon Center to be treated for any injuries sustained. A bystander with an orange hoodie and blonde hair watched the recovery crew bring the two Pokemon to the center, putting his hands in his pockets. He had heard the news of a rampaging Garchomp while he was in the city and he managed to catch up with the finale.

"Hmph." He said as began to leave.

Meanwhile, Interpol Agent "Looker" had just arrived at the scene along with an investigation crew to find out the causes. Sophie came as well, along with important evidence related to the event. Oh how it's going to be a long night for Professor Sycamore and his lab mates. Speaking of Professor Sycamore, he found Ash, Charizard, and Pikachu around the south side of Lumiose City, all bruised up and injured.

"Ash! Thank goodness I found you!" The Professor called out, "Come on, we'll take your Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, quickly!"

Seeing as there were multiple centers in the city to compensate for the sheer size of it, they didn't take up much time getting to one.

"How's Garchomp and Froakie?" Ash asked timidly.

"They're fine, thanks to you," The Professor replied, "Why don't you stay with me for a little while? You should get rested up anyways. Today was a _very_ long day."

"Haha, yeah...And thanks, Professor."

The two stayed for a bit before they returned to the lab/mansion. The Professor led Ash to his room, in which he slept soundly. His Pokémon were to stay in the Pokémon Center for the night to receive treatment. All of them deserved a good rest.

* * *

At that very moment, Grace nor Serena moved from the shock of Ash's sudden save, but as soon as the full implication of what had happened sunk in, Serena felt herself collapsing onto the floor.

_"He's okay... He's okay!"_ Serena thought, thankful for who – or what – ever saved him as she tried to catch her breath.

Saying she was relieved to see her best friend intact was the understatement of the year. She is more than relieved; she was excited, she was in shock... Words just cannot describe what she's feeling right now. All she cares is that he's safe.

Hours later, she and her mother are already under the blankets. For Serena, however, it was difficult; no matter how much she twisted and turned, she couldn't find a comfortable position on her bed. Her body still tense from the incident earlier in the night. It had all been a mess of mixed up emotions. Seeing Ash again and knowing that he isn't too far from where she is made her all giddy and excited, probably more than she ever felt in several years. It had strengthened her resolve to go on her Pokémon journey, because it meant that with a little luck, she would really get to meet him again!

But then, everything had been cracked for a moment when Ash threw himself off of Prism Tower. Why would he do something so reckless? Sure, he had a reckless daredevil personality, but to throw himself off a 300-meter tower, even to save his Pokémon, seemed a little too much, even for him.

Shouldn't she be happy? Her best friend is closer than ever, safe and sound. In any other situation, she would be thrilled that they were so close to each other. Lumiose City was a day or two away from Vaniville Town. They hadn't been this close since they were separated. There's just this nagging feeling at the back of her mind. Even though it is not out of character for Ash to go to great lengths to ensure a Pokémon's safety, it still made her feel like he had changed for the past four years. He had seemed so different from the little boy she used to hang out with. The resemblance of this Ash and the Ash she knew was uncanny, but he still managed to show her how much he had changed in just a few minutes she had seen him.

Would he be different? Of course he would be. There's no point in speculating about it. The boy probably had completed the Kanto League, and possibly more. It wouldn't make sense for him to go here before travelling the Kanto region first. And in that aspect, Shauna was right. Travelling across different regions and meeting all kinds of people and Pokemon would definitely have a profound change to the traveler; in this case, Ash.

Unable to find a comfortable position, she finally gave up trying to sleep and sat up on her bed. It's no use rolling over again and again if she kept pondering back and forth in her head. The young girl silently got off her bed and walked over to her window and opened it, allowing the cool air from outside to cool down her hot room. As the crisp night winds soothe her skin and cool off her body heat after having been confined under her blankets for hours without being able to sleep, Serena took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

She should be happy; after all, Ash is here in Kalos, probably in his journey to become a Pokémon Master like he always used to brag about in the forest they used to play in. The fond memories of the two having fun in the meadows and the forests of Pallet Town came down on her like a waterfall. But at the back of her mind, more questions retained. What if he was a complete stranger to her now and it ruined her memories of him? Or even worse, what if he didn't remember her at all? Leaning against the window frame, Serena groaned. This is going to be a long night.

* * *

"Doctor," A red-haired scientist said.

"Yes, what is it, Aliana?" A pale white man with red hair and red shades responded.

"The device has been destroyed, sir." Aliana replied back.

"...You don't say? No matter, I have all the data I need."

The man walked on over to a massive display, showing all kinds of scientific data gathered from an experiment. He turned on over to Aliana with his hands behind his back.

"Tell me, who has destroyed my device? I'm rather curious who might have gotten through such a powerful Pokémon to be able to destroy such a piece of work." The man said.

"A child with a Pikachu and a Charizard. Apparently, he was the Sinnoh League Champion last year."

"Hmm...I see. Keep a close eye on them. He is a rather intriguing subject."

"Yes, Doctor Xerosic."

* * *

Despite the late night struggle against the berserk Garchomp, Ash found himself up and ready to go early in the morning. He was still a little bit tired, but that was nothing that a little morning run can't fix. After everything that had happened yesterday, he felt like he needed to relax his muscles a little and burn off some leftover steam. So he got out of bed quietly and got himself dressed up. He snuck across the hallway, noticing Professor Sycamore still up. Had he been up all night? And that person beside him...Is that Agent Looker? Is he here about the incident last night? Assuming that they were mostly having an adult talk regarding the incident, he didn't butt into the conversation. When he got out of the lab, he stopped to think about where he should run. If he remembered correctly, the main street he was on ran in a circle around Prism Tower, so if he just followed that one he should be good.

He took off at a slow, relaxing pace. He had left his jacket zipped open to let the cool morning breeze in as he ran across the wide circular street of the city. Indeed, the morning breeze felt soothing against his body as he made his way down the street, taking steady and deep breaths. In comparison to the constant running and panicking they had done yesterday, this felt like heaven. Neither stress nor pressure brought his body to his limits; just a constant soothing breeze blowing at him as if he was the king of the world.

As he was running, Ash couldn't help but wonder how this journey would turn out. He had only been here for a single day and, quite literally, he nearly died. If he had to say, he would say this was the most intense first day to a new region he had ever had. Well, maybe his accidental clash with Zekrom in Unova came close, but aside from that, most of his arrivals had been...Well, they weren't exactly tranquil, but they hadn't been as intense as this one.

As he thought about it, Ash noticed something that made him come to a halt. Wasn't that...Prism Tower? How in the world had he gotten here? The street he was on was supposed to run in a circle around the tower, right? Realizing what he had done wrong, Ash groaned inwardly. He must have turned too sharply at some point and taken one of the streets that led up to the tower, rather than follow the main circular street. He had been so lost in thought that he had forgotten to keep an extra eye on where he was running. Actually, how long had he been running anyway? He had no idea, he just kept on running. If he had been away for too long, there was a risk that Sycamore and the others would begin to wonder where he had gone...

Everything seemed the way it was the day before, with the exception of loud jet noises. Strange, even the Boeing 787 he rode on wasn't _that _loud. The boy looked up to see what the howling noises were, only to find a combat aircraft and a Pokémon performing stunts. Apparently, it was a Kalosian Rafale and a Salamence; it's not something you would see every day. He may not be particularly fond of aircraft, but it was an amazing sight nonetheless. He let the environment around him sink in as he stared out into the big blue sky. But the serenity had been broken by a voice...

"Froakie!" A voice called out. It was Froakie, and he's coming straight towards him.

"Hey Froakie, what's going on?" The frog Pokémon pulled the cuffs and pointed towards the lab. Well, at least Ash thought so. "They need me, huh? Let's stop by the Pokémon Center first to pick up Pikachu and Charizard."

Ash and Froakie stopped by the Pokémon Center where Pikachu and Charizard had resided to be treated by Nurse Joy. The electric rodent had regained much of its strength, but Charizard took quite a beating from last night. The close-quarter Hyper Beam and two crash landings had taken a toll on the dragon-like Pokémon. Nevertheless, he chose to keep him by his side and let him rest for a while. He won't be seeing any action anytime soon.

Pikachu then perched on Ash's shoulder and they followed Froakie over to the lab, and they were greeted by none other than Agent Looker who was leaving the lab after a little chat with the Professor.

"Why, hello there, Ash."

"Oh, hey Looker! I wasn't expecting you here."

"I am a part of the International Police after all. It's my duty to bring justice to the wrongdoers."

"Hehe, yeah. I almost forgot about that." Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Well, I better get going. By the way, Professor Sycamore is waiting for you at the lab."

"Alright, thanks for the heads up, Looker. I'll see you around!"

The two parted ways, and Ash and Froakie entered Sycamore's mansion/lab. Immediately, they headed on over to the lab, where a call was waiting for them. It was his mother, Delia Ketchum, calling from Professor Oak's lab. After a stern scolding from her, Ash began to reconsider his actions. He hadn't thought about the people who knew or cared about him. But of course, with Mom being Mom, she snapped him out of his trance.

"Ash, are you even listening to me?!" She said angrily.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Mom. I was just thinking for a bit..." Ash responded, to which Delia can only sigh to.

"Ash, I'm just worried about you...Please don't do something so reckless like that again." Delia pleaded and Ash responded with a nod.

The two had a lengthy conversation, but it didn't take long for them to say their goodbyes. Once they finished, Professor Sycamore approached the slightly sulking boy. He is carrying a small round stone in his hands...Wait, isn't that the Charizardite he showed him last night?

"Here Ash," the Professor said as he handed the mega stone over to him, "as a token of my gratitude – of all our gratitude. You really helped us out last night."

"Um, thanks, I guess." Ash said, putting the mega stone inside his backpack.

"Now where were we...Oh right! The reason I brought you here is that there is a trainer in Vaniville Town just south of here. I was supposed to have one of my assistants to deliver the starter Pokémon to the trainer, but we're a little tied up with the Garchomp incident from last night, and since you're ready to go anyways, I thought I'd ask if you can help me out one more time."

"Sure, I'd be glad to!" Ash eagerly accepted the Professor's request. At least he would have something else to think about. He was also handed a region map and a holo-caster to help him out on the way.

Later, as he was about to leave the mansion, Froakie approached Ash with a smile on its face and a Pokéball right beside him.

"Well, it seems that Froakie has taken a liking to you, Ash." Professor Sycamore said behind the young trainer.

"You think so?" Ash then turned his attention to Froakie, "Froakie, do you want to join me?"

"Froak, Froakie!" The frog Pokemon said enthusiastically.

"Well then, welcome to the family!" Upon hearing this, Froakie pressed the button on the Pokéball beside him, and he was engulfed by a red energy. The Pokéball 'absorbed' him and followed up with an immediate 'ding', signaling that Froakie has been captured. "Alright! I caught a Froakie!"

"Pi Pika Pi!" Pikachu cheered.

* * *

It was noon; Serena had finally awoken from her slumber. She actually managed to fall asleep. Although, to be honest, she was still feeling a little drowsy, but if she went to sleep in the middle of the day, she knew she would have trouble sleeping later in the night. She was initially surprised that her mother hadn't sent Fletchling at her. Then again, she had looked pretty shocked when she went to bed last night, so perhaps her mother wanted to give her some space.

Stretching out on her bed and yawning loudly, enjoying the feel of the cold blankets against her skin, Serena took her time to get up and start her day, now that she could actually have a relaxed morning for one. It almost felt strange to be able to brush her hair at her own pace and take her time deciding what to wear for the day. She had become so accustomed to Fletchling waking her up and her mother calling her down for the usual training that she felt like an entirely different person when she finally walked down the stairs, around 20 minutes later. Her mother was sitting by the dining table and was on the phone. However, when Serena walked in, she turned towards her.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," She said, "Professor Sycamore is on the phone and he wants to know your answer now as he'll be only able to send someone here today due to the incident."

Without sparing a single thought, the words escaped her lips without any resistance. "Yes."

"Well, there's your answer, Professor."

"Thank you. Froakie, can you find him and bring him back to the lab, please? I have an errand to run for him." That's when another ringing noise surfaced in the background, "I'm sorry, Grace, but I'll have to cut our little chat short. I'll be expecting Serena soon." And after saying their goodbyes, they ended their call.

As Serena made her way to the fridge, she overheard the news. "They have cleaned up after the crisis in Lumiose. Three people were hurt badly and about 20 got minor bruises, but no casualties."

The young girl froze slightly when the news reporter mentioned the Garchomp incident, but relaxed again when she heard that no one had died. She had been so focused on Ash yesterday that she hadn't even paid a thought to all the other people in Lumiose City that could've been killed when the land shark rampaged through the city. However, hearing that everyone would be alright, she felt a lot better as she grabbed a plate of chicken fettuccine alfredo and sat down by the table.

"Well look who's all jolly today," Her mother complimented.

"You didn't send Fletchling after all. I had all the time I want to get off of bed." Of course, both of them knew why she was feeling all giddy today, but neither wanted to say it.

She felt her mother watch her as she ate her food, but tried not to think about it. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the news, which moved on from the top story and onto an update on the top Pokémon Battlers in the world. Apparently, the Kalos League Conference was due to start in just over a month and so the channel was doing a check out of all the possible participants. At the moment, Serena wasn't particularly interested in battling, but at least it gave her something to think of.

"...And now we will take a look at the Pokemon Trainer World Rank that has been updated since the last tournaments in Unova and Sinnoh. Following his victory in the Vertress Conferece, Trip has entered the Top 100 on 93rd place. Last year's Kalos Conference also saw Paul victorious after his defeat in the Lily of the Valley Conference in the same year, climbing him back up to 57th place. Speaking of the Lily of the Valley Conference, last year's winner, Ash Ketchum, has dropped a few spots after his lost in the quarter finals of the Vertress Conference and is currently back on 68th place."

Her interest grew slightly when she heard that Ash was on the Top 100. That would mean that he had set out on his journey relatively recently.

_"I wonder how many regions he has travelled so far..."_ Serena thought. The reporter said that he had won the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh last year, so that confirmed her assumptions of Ash travelling at least two regions.

While she thought about Ash, she had missed the higher tiers of trainers, but she didn't really cared anyways. She did, however, manage to catch the website address for the rankings. Deciding to check the website later for any kind of record of him and his battles to get an idea of how many regions he had travelled and how many tournaments he had participated in, Serena stood up and headed over to the sink with an empty plate.

"Do you have anything planned for today?" Grace asked when she noticed that Serena had left her seat.

Serena hadn't expected to have this day free so she hadn't planned anything. She could probably head over to Shauna's place and spend the day with her friend, but she wasn't in the mood to spend time with her hyperactive friend. No offense to Shauna, but she could be quite a handful and right now, Serena felt like she would rather do something a little more relaxing.

"I haven't really thought about. I'm still feeling a little cumbersome, so I'll probably just lie down and read something for a while and relax. But I don't know about the afternoon. Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Grace said, turning back towards the TV. Serena knew her mother pretty well, and she knew that she was going to suggest her something. Otherwise she wouldn't have asked. "I was thinking. Since you're going to leave on a journey very soon, we should make sure you got everything packed and got some comfortable clothes to travel in. You know, so that you'll be ready to go when you finally get your first Pokemon."

Blinking in surprise, Serena turned towards her mother. She was definitely not expecting this. This really came out of the blue, as her usual suggestion would be something related to Rhyhorn Racing. Now that she mentioned it, though, Serena hadn't even begun to remotely think about what she wanted to bring along on her journey or what clothes she wanted to travel in. She had a large collection of clothes, but she couldn't anything in that wardrobe as they weren't well suited for traveling long distances. Putting together a suitable traveling gear from those clothes would be hard, so buying a new, more durable and comfortable set didn't sound all too bad. Except there was only one small problem...

"You don't need to worry about money, dear. I'll pay for whatever you want to buy," Her mother hastily added.

Now that definitely shocked her. Is this the same mother she had known for the years spent with her? Her mother has always been very strict when it comes to money. Serena was to pay for herself when it came to clothing and other personal needs. Sure, if there was something that was absolutely necessary, Grace would step in. Otherwise, she wanted Serena to buy her stuff with her well-earned cash. In truth, Serena felt indifferent towards her policy since that just meant that she had a bigger influence over what she actually bought and didn't have to ask her mother for her opinion on everything before buying it, but it had still always made her feel as if her mother was keeping her at arm's length.

Realizing that her mom was waiting for a reply, she shook the thought out of her head and tried to put on her best smile. She didn't mind wherever this was coming from; it sounded like a nice idea and if her mother was going to be the one paying for it, she wouldn't say no.

"That would be wonderful." Grace smiled when she heard her daughter's answer.

It's true that Serena loathed Grace since the day she was forced to pack up and leave Kanto for Kalos. Her anger over the hasty and selfish decision of her mother had caused her to slowly break her bond with her. Their grudge had diminished over time, but there had always been something that kept her from opening up to her mother the same way again.

Their relationship had always been a little rusty since Grace had always prioritized her career and that often left Serena in the care of someone else (usually Delia) while she was away, but at least back then she had still wanted her mother to be her mother. That will had almost completely vanished after they moved. When they would talk to each other or spend time together, Serena always felt like she locked up a piece of herself whenever she was with her mother. But seeing her mother's gesture actually made her feel warm inside. Was it because she knew that she would be able to see Ash again? Perhaps, but whatever it was that made her want to at least try to forgive her mother again, something she hadn't even considered since they left Kanto, it made Serena feel good inside.

"We should go before it gets too late. After all, we might miss your delivery." Grace followed up with a wink.

Serena nodded, and without further ado, she rushed to her bedroom and began changing her clothes. Grace hadn't seen her child _this_ excited in a while. She probably knew that this was the best thing to do for her all along, but the fact that she was blinded by her own ambitions troubled her. As her daughter remained in her room, Grace sulked on the couch, thinking back on the many mistakes she had made. Fortunately, Serena had come down quicker than usual, due to her not being able to contain her excitement, thus removing Grace out of that trance.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Serena said happily, "Let's go!" Grace nodded in reply, and soon left the premises with her daughter. At least this is something she can do for her.

* * *

Dusk slowly approached as Ash and Pikachu arrived in Aquacorde Town. Earlier on, they had stopped briefly in Santalune City for lunch, but had been quick on their way again as soon as they were done. Preferably, they wanted to make it to Vaniville Town before 8PM. Professor Sycamore had told him that the little town had walls and a gate that closes by the said time to keep the wild Pokemon from roaming the town at night, but since they had barely made any stops along the way, they had plenty of time to spare.

It wasn't often he had a day this uneventful. As a result, Ash kept getting lost in thought, repeatedly catching Pikachu's attention. For a few times on their way to Vaniville Town, the yellow mouse snapped his trainer back into reality.

"Pika Pi?" Pikachu asked, seeing that there is definitely something bothering Ash.

"It's nothing Pikachu. I was just thinking; every time we travel to a new region, we always meet new friends who travel around the region with us. I mean, in Johto and Kanto, it was Brock and Misty. Then in Hoenn, we had Brock, May, and Max with us and the same happened in Sinnoh when we met Dawn. In Unova, we had Cilan and Iris. Do you think this rookie trainer will join us around Kalos?" Ash asked with a pensive look on his face, as if he was weighing the possibility that this rookie trainer would want to join them.

"Pikachu..." The electric rodent shrugged.

The gates were soon within visual range. He kept sulking all the way into Vaniville Town, much to Pikachu's chagrin. It was rather unusual for his trainer to be so down. Come to think of it, he has been like this since he came back to Pallet Town after their disappointing loss to Trip in the Vertress Conference. Surely that had something to do with Ash's current state. He kept all of his thoughts from Ash, trying not to make things worse for him.

Vaniville Town was a little bigger than Pallet Town, but it still had the same calm nature hanging over it, being so close to the forests. Not many people were outside right now since it was dinner time, but it still had a welcoming feeling to it. As they walked along a long hedge that cut the street off from a series of townhouses, Ash noticed one slightly bigger house by the end of the street. Being placed in a corner, it took full advantage of extra space provided. After double-checking the map, he confirmed that this is their destination.

Despite the impressive building, the front yard wasn't anything special, only containing a big oak tree and a large kennel-like hut where a Rhyhorn was taking a nap. As he came closer to it, the Rhyhorn woke up and, finding two strangers in the yard, it immediately jumped to its feet and ran up to place itself between Ash and the door. The Spike Pokémon stomped its feet in the ground and growled lowly, daring them to try and get past it.

"Easy there Rhyhorn. We're just here to deliver a package to your owner." Ash said as he took a step forward and held up his hands.

Hearing his voice, the Rhyhorn hesitated and stared at Ash for a moment, its eyes suddenly widening in the process. Ash frowned at the Rhyhorn's strange behavior, but seeing as it no longer mean any harm, he walked up to it and bent down to give it a pat on the horn.

"That's a good boy."

"Rhy, Rhyhorn Rhy!"

When the Rhyhorn spoke, Pikachu's ears twitched and he jumped off from Ash's shoulder to ask something of the Spike Pokémon. When Pikachu turned back to him and began gesturing his hands, Ash began to wonder what he was saying.

"Pika pika! Pi, Pikachu! Pika!" Ash frowned and reached up to scratch the back of his head. He usually understood Pikachu very well, but at the moment he was either too tired or too hungry to think clearly, or Pikachu didn't express himself very clearly. But the mouse was pointing at him and then at Rhyhorn so Ash made a guess.

"Are you saying I've met this Rhyhorn before?" He asked, with Pikachu nodding in response.

He had thought about it for a moment and studied the Spike Pokémon. He could not remember any specific trainer that had a Rhyhorn at the top of his head. Not one that was worth remembering, at least. "Hmm...It doesn't ring a bell...Weird," He said as he rang the doorbell.

Where could he have met this Rhyhorn? Better yet, how could he have met a Pokémon who lived in Kalos? He had never been to the region before, nor has he met anyone from it. Well, he wouldn't be able to find out because the owners of the house had left.

"Just my luck," The boy said, "They aren't even home. Come to think of it, are we even at the right house?" He began to doubt himself as he checked the address again. Fortunately, he was correct and it's just that that no one's at home at the moment. Although, it didn't take long for the owner to arrive as she walked into the pathway.

Ash took notice of the woman who had entered the premises and turned around to greet her, "Good evening; I'm here to deliver a starter Pokemon from Professor Sycamore."

The brown-haired woman stared in shock and Ash couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Something just doesn't feel right. Does this Rhyhorn belong to this woman? If so, does he know her, and vice versa? And who is this trainer supposed to be? Surely there had to be some connection, but as those questions revolved around his mind, they were immediately put to rest when the woman spoke.

"Ash?" She breathed in shock.

This had Ash raise an eyebrow. Now this was getting scary. First the Rhyhorn, then this brown haired woman... Wait a minute... He squinted to try and make out more of the woman's features through the dusk. The street lights went on, thus revealing her form from the dimming skies. That's when it all clicked.

"Grace?" The woman nodded in response to Ash's reaction. The Rhyhorn, the woman; it all made sense now! But, wait...If Grace is here, and this Rhyhorn is _that_ Rhyhorn, then that must mean...

"Sheesh, Mom, you're a fast walker..." A girl said as she approached the front pathway.

That voice...Is it really her? His heart rate alarmingly increased a he looked over Grace's shoulder and saw a young honey blonde girl entering the premises. And froze. For what seems like a long moment, their eyes locked together, as if they were staring into their souls.

Over the years, her hair may have grown slightly longer, but it still had that special gleam to it. Her sapphire eyes still had the same deep and glowing feel to it as Ash had always remembered them. The girl slowly approached him as the light from the street lights casted over her, revealing herself from the dark background. She had grown and changed a lot over the years, yet she looked so similar. There was no doubt in Ash's mind that it's her.

"Serena?"

Serena swallowed and put her hand over her heart. Was she dreaming? No, she couldn't be, but it definitely felt like it when she saw him standing in front of her. His black hair was confined by a baseball cap, but from what she could see, it was still as messy as it had always been. His eyes still held the caring and compassionate look she had always found herself staring into when they were children and he didn't look as skinny as he had back then. She took a deep breath as her lips moved to let her voice escape.

"Ash?"

* * *

**A/N: That...Took a whole lot longer than I expected. Hey, at least I brought them together again! Once again, I deeply apologize for how long I made you readers wait. I had a little trouble with the post-Garchomp Incident part, even resorting to some copy-pasting. :'( I feel like sh*t now... Nevertheless I would like to give credit to Serene Phoenix: Reborn's writer, Fred Andrew Oakster, since his fan fiction was the primary base for the introduction (and where I copied and pasted some dialogue/segments). **

**Well, anyways, let us move onto the few questions I keep receiving (moar questions please, I am in dire need of them...perhaps some suggestions too).**

_Will Ash stay in Lumiose and meet Serena there? Also, what about Clemont and Bonnie?_

**I just answered your first question. As for your second query, I have decided against Clemont and Bonnie. They will appear in the Lumiose City Gym, however. Just like now.**

_If Team Rocket is never going to appear again, then can Meowth join Ash and the gang? No talking Meowth feels just wrong plus I like to see him use new moves like "Shadow Claw" or "Iron Tail"._

**No. I feel like Meowth feels right at home with the Team Rocket Trio, since in the canon anime, they've been pals since the beginning. I do agree that it feels wrong to not have a talking Meowth, more specifically the Team Rocket Meowth. I could find a way to give him and Jessie and James a little cameo, but don't expect it to come to fruition.**

**Aaand that's pretty much it. :( There's always next chapter, though. Speaking of the next chapter, don't expect it to come out this weekend, since I released this chapter _very_ late. I need a bit of time to proofread and write down the final draft of that chapter (even then, it's not the final draft. More updates will come to previous chapters, even if they're small and insignificant as a misplaced period or so). Maybe you can expect it on the weekdays next week, IDK. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I will SEEEEEEEEEEEEE YAAAAAAAA! *cue AdhesiveWombat - 8 Bit Adventure***

**Next Chapter: Reunion**


	4. Chapter 4 - Reunion

**A/N: Sweet mother of God, over a month?! Well, here it is anyways. I am very sorry for the long delays. :( I've been rewriting and proofreading half of this chapter for the past few weeks using advice from other writers and from my own dissatisfaction of the segment I wrote. **

**Other than that, there's not much else to say. So without further ado, your next meal is ready. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, the anime would have Honoo no Tobira (and its English version by Amanda Lee for the English dub) and Akatsuki no Kuruma for the OP and Credits music, respectively, for the second arc of this story. :P Which, btw, will come right after battling Shalour City's own Korrina, if you ask. And no, I do not own either song as well.**

**Chapter 4: Reunion**

With the setting of the sun, twilight approached. The electric rodent can't help but stare at his trainer's brown eyes locking onto the honey blonde girl's sapphire eyes. He wasn't accustomed to see him in such a frozen state and every attempt to shake him out of it was ineffective. Who was this person and how could she have put Ash in this kind of trance? Right at the edge of his vision, he can see the brown-haired lady signaling him to come into the house.

"Pikachu, let's not interrupt their moment," Grace whispered. Seeing what the lady had meant, Pikachu hopped off his trainer's shoulders and followed her into the house.

Serena couldn't believe what she was seeing. She definitely wasn't dreaming and she already knew that he was here in Kalos. But, to unexpectedly show up at her home like this? She hadn't anticipated that happening. The honey blonde girl could only stand speechless and frozen in motion. Just from seeing him in person, she started to lose control of her own emotions and began to feel very strange inside. Whatever it was, thinking about it just made her feel weird.

As Ash's eyes stared into the deep blue abyss, memories together with her rushed down on him like an avalanche. Everything around them began to feel like a dream, but he wasn't dreaming; Serena was as tangible as the crimson roses along the path. It felt odd seeing her again like this; under the moonlight, just the two of them...All of it kind of made him feel all ticklish inside.

At the next moment, all Ash felt was a slight thrust back towards the door and two arms stiffly wrapped around him, and all he can hear were the sobs of the young girl in his hands. He tilted his head down and saw Serena burying her face on his shoulder.

"I missed you so much..." The honey blonde girl whispered.

Serena had longed for his caring arms ever since she had left Pallet Town. Whenever she was sad, hurt, or frightened, Ash was (usually) there for her to keep her calm. After the move, however, all she had was her own room and a blanket to bury herself under. She had no way of consoling herself from her troubles, so she was more than delighted having Ash back.

"Serena...Don't cry," He said as he hugged her back.

Ash wasn't expecting her to rush towards him like that. Watching her behavior towards him, he can tell that she had gone through a lot, and he can't help but feel bad for not being there to comfort her. For better or worse, the weird ticklish feeling grew little by little with every passing moment. There was something oddly familiar about it, but the boy just can't seem to put his finger on it.

Serena slowly lifted her face from Ash's shoulder, still somewhat sniffing and sobbing. The raven-haired boy lifted his right hand over her face, with the index finger wiping away the tears falling from her eyes. The honey blonde girl raised her head, with a little red tinge on her cheeks, and looked at his brown eyes and consoling smile.

"S-sorry about that..." Serena apologized.

"It's alright, Serena," Ash responded, "I'm here for you."

The boy's reassuring voice was more than enough to comfort her. Slowly but surely, the young girl's impulses were consuming her like a parasite. Her soft right hand moved away from Ash's hip and crept its away around his neck. She inched her lips closer towards his, unaware of what she was doing.

Ash, on the other hand, was partially oblivious to her actions; his mind still registering what she was doing. Just from watching her approach him in a somewhat passionate way, something began unlocking itself again. Was it because of Serena? And speaking of her, he couldn't remember her body feeling so soft against his. Just thinking about all of this made him feel all warm and sweaty, even to the point where his cheeks are all red.

Unfortunately for them (or fortunately, however you see it fit), a sound of rushing footsteps were rushing towards the vicinity of the Gabena household. Then, a voice followed, particularly from a young female girl.

"Hey Serena! Mom let me come over for dinner and…Huh?" The girl said.

The honey blonde girl stopped in her tracks and cringed. She had forgotten that Shauna is coming for dinner so that she could talk with her. But since she was so caught up with her reunion, she threw everything aside.

Ash looked over Serena's shoulders and saw a brunette girl about the same age as them. She was a wee bit shorter than either of them and she had one ponytail tied up to either side of her head.

"What are you two doing? Didn't you say you don't want a boyfriend?" Shauna said as she raised an eyebrow.

Serena's eye twitched; did Shauna really think she and Ash were dating? "Ehehe, it's not what it seems, Shauna!" Serena said as she twirled around to speak with her friend.

"I've never seen you around here before, though...But, you do look a bit familiar..." The brunette said, studying Ash in the process.

The raven-haired boy was left dumbfounded by Shauna's response. Now he clearly remembers that he had not seen her at all in any of his journeys, so where could she have seen him? Before he could ask the new girl, Serena sighed and began speaking to them.

"Shauna, this is Ash. Ash, meet Shauna; she's a new friend I made when I moved here," The honey blonde gestured.

"You don't mean your boyfriend in Kanto?" Then Shauna took a moment to think of his name, "Wait a minute...Ash Ketchum, right? I remember now! You were on TV about a year ago! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Serena! You never told me you are dating _the_ Sinnoh League Champion!"

Now, all she wanted was to bury herself under all the earth below her feet to hide all her embarrassment. Shauna just called Ash her boyfriend! Twice! Although Serena wasn't completely sure how he would feel after being called like that, the honey blonde girl was at the point where her whole face was hot red.

"Shauna, may I talk to you in the training yard, _alone_?" She said with a slight menacing tone to her voice. "Ash, if you would like to, why don't you join us for dinner tonight? You and mom can go ahead, I'll give Shauna here a little piece of my mind."

"Hey, what are yo-" The brunette was cut off from the blonde pulling on one of her pigtails, "Ow, ow, ouch! Serena, let go of me...! Yooowch!"

Once more, Ash was left silent and bewildered. His mind just couldn't process what had just happened. Well, he did process much of the information, more or less; he was reunited with Serena and he was introduced to her new friend...Truth be told, Ash was left all the more clueless of what had happened.

* * *

"Ow, ow!" Shauna yelled as she was dragged along. When they had finally reached the very large backyard that housed the training field, Serena let go off her pigtail, and the brunette turned around with a furious expression on her face. "What was that for?!"

"What the heck were you thinking, Shauna?! That was my friend, whom by the way I have never seen for a long time, and you just embarrassed me right in front of him!" Serena unleashed her fury on her friend.

"What did I do? It's not like I saw you and your boyfriend naked or something."

Hearing Shauna's defense, the honey blonde girl blushed. However, it did remind her of the fact that her friend had called Ash her boyfriend. Twice. Who knows what he could be thinking after that. Once more, just from listening to Shauna's comment, pictures of _her_ Ash topless came streaming into her mind. What was she thinking? She shook her head to erase the images from her mind.

"For the last time, ASH! IS! NOT! MY! BOYFRIEND!" Serena screamed at the top of her lungs.

The young brunette was taken slightly aback from her friend's response. She had not heard Serena talk back at her this agitatedly, not even to her mother. It did make Shauna think, however. After all, she had seen the way they acted around with each other and the intimacy in the air around them was evident. Does Serena really think there's nothing going on between them? Was it really supposed to be just an ordinary friendship?

"Jeez Serena, calm down!" Shauna said. Then she gave Serena a mischievous smirk, "If you don't want him, then I guess I'll have him all to myself. After all, he is kind of handsome..."

"NO!" The honey blonde exclaimed. It didn't take long for her to process what she had just said and her hand shot up to cover her mouth in shock at her own exclamation. Seeing Shauna's cheeky grin spreading across her face sent chills down her spine; she knows that she drove herself to a corner.

"Hm? Then why are you so defensive about it?"

Checkmate. Serena can feel the salty sweat building up and dripping from her forehead and the blood rushing to her cheeks. She knew she had fallen into her trap, but it's too late to get out of it now. If only she had control over her own stupid impulses, she wouldn't be in this exact situation. She desperately tried to come up with an answer; but sadly, nothing came to her mind.

* * *

Grace and Ash had already begun eating dinner, since Serena had given them the go-ahead to do so, and that she and Shauna had been out at the backyard for quite a bit. Inside Ash's mind, he's trying to make sense of what had just happened earlier. To begin with it...Actually, where should he start? For one, Serena was acting strangely for a time there, although it didn't last long. And then Shauna came along and things became...Interesting, to say the least. However, the things she had mentioned about his old friend are just a little unnerving. Did Serena have a boyfriend prior to their reunion? If that's making him uneasy, why should it? Shouldn't he be happy for her?

"Ash, are you okay?" Grace said, noticing that his face was straining a little, "You seem a little off tonight. Is there something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm completely fine," Ash replied back with a smile. Trying to divert the topic from himself, he continued on, "I take it Serena's the new trainer?"

Grace nodded in confirmation. Of course she would be the new trainer. She had no younger siblings, as far as he knew, and he already established that they were at the right household. Although that begs the question: Why? It has been two years since she should've been eligible to receive her starter Pokémon. But before he could ask, Grace, as if she had read his mind, carried on to answer the unspoken question.

"She was still really down when she turned ten, so she said she didn't want to go on a journey. I think, after all those endless planning you two made during all the afternoons you just sat around and talked, that she didn't see the point in it because it wouldn't be the same."

The thought of her declining to travel sank in. Now why would she do that? Was she really that upset that she would turn the offer down? Thinking that he had ruined Serena's opportunity to travel just because he hadn't been there with her made him feel a little down himself.

"Of course, that's just what I think. She never really liked talking about such things; I guess it hits way too close to home."

Just then, Serena and Shauna entered from the back door, having finished their 'little' chat. The two settled down in their seats, with Serena still noticeably irritated. Oh how this night had turned for her. Well, at least things couldn't get worse, now...Right? Trying to keep all the negativity out from her mind, she started up a conversation with her old friend, something she hasn't done in years.

"Ash? I've been meaning to ask you something earlier," Serena said.

Ash raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"

"What brings you here?"

"Oh, Professor Sycamore sent me here for your Pokémon."

"WHAAAA?!" Shauna intervened, surprised by the revelation. She, too, wanted her own Pokémon, but with the restrictions put on her by her mother, there's not much she can do. "SERENA, YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE GETTING YOUR FIRST POKÉMON!?"

"Shauna, I was going to tell you, but I didn't even know Ash was coming with the Pokémon today, so that just added on to the complications." Serena tried to ease her, "Maybe you can ask your mom to let you go."

"I've already told you; been there, done that. She still won't let me!"

"Hmm...Why don't you tell her that I'm going as well?"

Shauna sighed, but at least she can try one more time. What's the worst that could happen? "Oh alright."

While Serena and Shauna conversed, Ash can't help but think about why she had declined to travel. All that Grace said to him was her own theory; nothing from the actual source, making him all the more curious as to what Serena had in her mind back then. It just seemed a little out of character for her to feel _that_ down.

* * *

The honey blonde girl laid on her bed, face down. Shauna had already left the premises a while ago; the brunette had quite a huge smile on her face when she left. She probably was excited to tell her mom about Serena getting her first Pokémon. Ash, on the other hand, is still down at the kitchen; he had offered to help her by rinsing all she had washed. The two shared stories of what they had done since their parting, although Ash was usually the one talking since he had done quite a lot.

The girl rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, "Five regions already, huh? I've surely missed a lot..."

The night really took quite a toll on her. Little did she expect Ash to be here, and for Shauna to ruin their moment...Well, at least she isn't here anymore. Although, what she had said got her to think for a short moment. Does she really have a problem with her 'taking' Ash from her? After all, they're just friends; there's nothing going on between them...Right?

_"No, I shouldn't be even thi-" _Then a knock interrupted her.

"Hey Serena, you there?" A masculine voice said and slowly opened the door. The honey blonde girl rose to greet the raven-haired boy poking his head through the opening.

"Ash? What are you doing here?" She said out of surprise.

The boy was scratching his head out of embarrassment; he really should've known better, "Sorry if I'm bothering you but...I was wondering if we could talk for a moment?"

"Oh, uh...Sure, I guess...Err, why don't you sit on the bed with me?" Serena said as she let him in her room. "So, uh...What do you want to talk about?"

"You're twelve years old now, right? I was just wondering; it has been two years since you were eligible to get your first Pokémon, so why did you wait so long to get it?"

The girl was taken slightly aback from Ash's unanticipated question as droplets of sweat formed. She took the time to think; she didn't want to seem weak...But, she didn't want to lie to her best friend either...

"Well...I guess I just wasn't settled to my new home, and I wanted this place to feel like it when I return from my journey. Honestly, it's no big of a deal for you to get so worked up about." It wasn't a complete lie; she just left out her main reason.

The raven-haired boy analyzed her face, "...Serena, I've known you since the day we met, and I can still tell that you're a bad liar."

"Eh?! What's that supposed to mean?!" At this point, Serena's cheeks were drowning in a sea of red and she swiftly turned her head away from him.

_"Great job, now you're on her bad side,"_ Ash thought to himself as he sighed, "It's alright if you don't want to say it. Just remember, if you want to talk to me about anything, I'm all ears," The boy smiled at her.

The honey blonde girl looked at the corner of her eye and saw the smiling face that reminded her of their past selves. Listening to the same words he used to tell her, it just shrouded her in guilt; it's not like she wanted to lie to him. Sooner or later, she will have to tell him why she would do something like that. The more she thought about it, the more stressed she would feel, and it didn't take long for her to break.

"It's just...It wasn't worth it," She said, capturing Ash's attention, "Without you, I just don't see the point in it. Traveling the world, all alone...It just doesn't feel right to me. Besides, if I were to go by myself, we wouldn't have seen each other again!" Serena winked at him.

Once it sank in, Ash felt rather glum; it hadn't occurred to him that travelling with her would mean _this_ much to her. Sure, he knew that their plans meant a lot to her, but to go as far as denying the request from the professor himself...The fact that he hadn't been there for her, it just made him feel at fault for all this. Who knows what she had to go through without him...Perhaps there was one way to make it up to her.

"...Why don't you come along with me? You are going to become a Pokémon trainer, right?"

"Actually, I haven't decided on it yet," She stated, surprising the raven-haired boy beside her, "Truth be told, I don't know what I even want to do at all."

"All the more reason to go out and enjoy the world, am I right?"

Serena smiled at his assuring optimism. She leaned closer to Ash's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his right arm. "Thank you, Ash," She whispered as her eyes slowly clasped together.

The boy can't help but blush as her smooth golden hair rested on his right shoulder. He can feel his whole body slowly burning with intense heat that wasn't even there. Alongside the scorching sensation was the rising heart rate. His mind just couldn't understand this feeling. There's just something about it feels like it's trying to ring a bell; whatever it may be, he had felt the same for something or _someone_ before.

Ash looked over at the girl beside him, but it seems that she had already fallen into slumber. He took it upon himself to get her bundled up, so he carried the honey blonde girl – her head on his right arm and her legs on the other – and laid her down the right way on her bed. Lastly, he grabbed the soft white blanket and swaddled her with it. Upon finishing, he got up and headed for the door, and gave one last look at the sleeping beauty.

"Good night, Serena."

* * *

**A/N: Finally, we have reached the end of this chapter; that took way more time than I wanted. :/ So in this chapter, I tried to lay down the foundations for their relationship. I had quite a hard time to describe the 'unknown' feeling Ash was...Well, feeling, in those intimate moments with Serena. I may have to edit this chapter a few times just because of that. Other than that, I don't have much else to say. Anyways, with that out of the way, let's get on with the questions.**

_I wish their reunion will be somewhat different from SPR please make it sweeter._

**I have tried my best. What do you think of the finished product?**

_When will be the next update?_

**Recently, the new updates tend to...Vary in time, so I cannot tell when the next one will come, nor can you expect one anytime soon. Sorry. :/**

_Can Serena get an Eevee and a Scatterbug? (Its final form is a Vivillon.)_ _It's feels kind of natural for Serena because I think they represent the many options and choices in her life; Eevee has many evolutions and Vivillon has many patterns!_

**First off, I wanna say that that is an excellent analogy! About Scatterbug/Vivillon, it's on the drawing board, and I am considering it. Eevee, on the other hand, is a definite YES. Some of you will now probably ask, "What Eeveelution will it be?" Nope, not telling you; it's a surprise (not really surprising though, but I still won't tell you). **

_Will Serena catch any Pokémon in this fic?_

**Yes. Like I've said in the previous question, Eevee will be one of those Pokémon she will catch. Oh, if I recall correctly, there's a toy that's labeled "Serena's Pancham". IF she will actually capture a Pancham, I am adding the awesome little panda bear to her team.**

**Now I have a question for y'all. The title, 'On the Road, Again' was, and always has been, a working/placeholder title. I couldn't really come up with anything at the moment of conception of this project. So I ask you guys to give some suggestions for the official name of this fan fiction. I will put up a poll of my Top 3 favorite suggestions, as well as 2 others from my own: Blazing Light and Seeds of Hope. So, let us begin suggesting! **cue Amazing Plan by Kevin MacLeod****

**Dat piano tho.**

**Next Chapter: You are my Rival!**


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